Bridle



(No Model.)

J.'A. HUNTER.

BRIDLE. No. 366,108. Patented July 5,,188'7.

I "In UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

JOHN A. HUNTER, OF ORLAND, INDIANA.

BRIDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,108, dated July 5, 1887.

Application filed Mart-h 16, 1887. Serial No. 231,138. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. HUNTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Orland, in the county of Steuben and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridles; and,I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in bridles; and the novelty consists in the peeuliar combination of devices and novel construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a device of the class above named adapted to be attached to an ordinary headstall of a bridle, which will serve as an overcheck-rein in the management of the horse to prevent it from running away, &c.

I have shown an embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure l is a side elevation of parts of a bridle, showing my improved device attached thereto; and Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line at a: of Fig. 1, showing one of the brackets with the guide-roller journaled therein. 7

Referring by letter to the drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures, A designates a bridle of any desired construction, which consists of the crown-piece B and a foreheadstrap, B. The vertical strap D carries the usual blinders, c, and to the crown-piece B and the blinders a connectingstrap, D, is secured. The lower end of the vertical strap is adapted to be connected to an ordinary driving-bit.

O designates a suspended carrying plate or strap, which is made of a flat piece of steel curved at its upper end, asat c and which is secured to the crown-piece B in any suitable manner. This suspendingplate O is extended out for a short distance forward of the crownpiece, and then assumes a vertical position, as at (I, so that it will lie upon the face of the horse, the lower end being continued down wardlylfor a suitable distance, and terminates at a point within a short distance above the nose of the animal, so that it will lie in a position parallel to the line of the strap D of the bridle.

E is a loop-shaped vertical bracket or standard that is screwed or otherwise secured in a base-plate, a, fastened on the upper side at or near the middle of the crown-piece B, and in this bracket is mounted a frictional guideroller, a, the trunnions of which are loosely journaled in the bracket, so that the roller will turn freely on its axis.

F F designate brackets of a pattern similar to the bracket E, but preferably of smaller dimensions, which are secured'to the suspending plate at different points of its length, and carry guide-rollers ff, respectively. The bracket F is attached to the plate f) at the angle formed by the bend at 0 while the other bracket, F, is connected to the lower extreme end of said plate O,in a manner which I will presently describe. The rear'side of the bracket F is formed with a shank, f, that is adapted to move in avertical slot, it, made in the plate 0 in the lower end thereof, so as to slide vertically therein, the shank of said bracket F being headed to hold it firmly in place and to prevent lateral movement of the same, the bracket being thus capable of a vertical sliding movement on the lower end of the plate 0, for a purpose presently set forth.

G is the-over check or draw rein, which passes over the roller of the bracket E, down over the rollers f f of the brackets F F, respectively, and thelower end of the overdrawrein is adapted to be connected to any pre ferred kind of bit, which is to be inserted in the animals mouth. The rollers of the brackets are journaled therein at points a short dis tance from the front side thereof, so as to leave intermediate spaces through which the over drawer check rein passes, and is thereby prevented from being displaced from the brackets.

The operation of my device is obvious.

frightened in any manner, and attempts to spring forward to break away,the over check or draw rein is pulled by the driver to cause a bit attached thereto to press against the roof of the horsesmouth to quickly control it. By means of the movable adjustable bracket F the pressure exerted by the bit attached to the overdraw-rein may be regulated to provide either a strong or moderate pull of the latter, and thus govern the headway of the horse.

Slight changes can be made in the construction as to the form and proportion of the various parts of my invention without departing from the spirit or gist thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a bridle, the combination, with the headstall, of the carrying-plate having the brackets, and the rollers journaled in the brackets, and the overcheck-rein passing over the rollers, the lower roller being adjustably secured to the lower end of the plate, whereby the tension exerted by the checkrein upon the mouth of the animal may be regulated, substantially as and for the purpose set-forth.

2. In abridle, the combination, with a headstall, of a vertically-disposed carrying-plate having the loop-shaped guiding-brackets, one above the other, in which are journaled guidingrollers, and an overdraW-rein passing through the brackets and over the rollers, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a bridle, the combination, with ahead stall, of a carrying-plate, the fixed brackets at JOHN A. HUNTER.

\Vitnesses: F. D. PARKER,

H. D. Lucia. 

